Telecom - Secretary General Letter addressed to the Distribution List
Gatineau, 7 March 2025
BY EMAIL
Distribution List
Subject: Secretary General Letter - Telecom – Offering Canadians more competitive, flexible, and affordable international roaming options
Dear Philippe Gauvin, Howard Slawner, and Kaitlin Mackenzie,
As you know, the Commission is committed to ensuring that Canadians can access affordable and high-quality Internet and cellphone services. As part of these efforts, the Commission is following up on its letter dated October 7, 2024 about offering Canadians more competitive, flexible, and affordable international roaming options.
Last year, the Commission examined fees that Canadians pay when they travel internationally and found that Canadians lack choice when roaming, and that roaming rates are high. In light of these findings, the Commission called on Canada's largest cellphone companies to take immediate action to reduce roaming fees.
In response, Bell Mobility Inc., Rogers Communications Canada Inc., and TELUS Communications Inc. (together, the companies) reported to the Commission on the steps taken. The companies reported that they have introduced, or plan to introduce, new international roaming offerings that include:
- monthly plans for roaming in the United States, Mexico, and other locations, which will provide more affordable roaming offerings for Canadians travelling for longer periods;
- roaming packages of different durations with weekly or monthly rates, instead of only daily rates, which will provide more options and added flexibility;
- travel passes to specific regions, such as 14 days in Europe or 7 days in the Caribbean, that can be purchased as add-ons and result in lower daily rates; and
- family roaming plans that provide discounts for additional family members, making trips more affordable for families travelling together.
The companies also highlighted the growing presence of e-SIMs in the market, which provide Canadians with an alternative to roaming services.
While the Commission is encouraged by some of the steps taken to deliver more choice for Canadians, it is calling on the companies to ensure that they continue to make progress on reducing roaming fees. The Commission also wants to ensure that new roaming offerings are easily accessible on the companies’ websites so that Canadians can find and choose the roaming services that best meet their needs.
To help ensure that Canadians have access to more affordable and flexible roaming services, the Commission:
- Expects the companies to make their new international roaming offerings available to Canadians as soon as possible and to ensure that they are easily found on their websites; and
- Directs the companies to file progress reports with the Commission on 5 May 2025 and on 5 November 2025. These reports are to include a list of all new international roaming offerings that have been launched since the Commission’s October 2024 letter with information on price and consumer uptake of each offering.
Moreover, based on the companies’ reports, the Commission is concerned that new roaming offerings do not include affordable pay-per-use options. When travelling abroad, Canadians may require access to banking and other online services that send text messages to authenticate their identity. These text messages might not be received without paying for a full day of roaming or other high usage fees. The Commission expects Canadians to be able to access pay-per-use options for low-data use activities, such as receiving authentication messages, at affordable rates.
As such, the Commission directs the companies to explain in their May 2025 progress reports: (i) how they intend to address concerns about the lack of affordable pay-per-use international roaming options; and (ii) how they plan to market and promote their new international roaming offerings, as well as ensure their offerings are easily found on their websites, so that Canadians are aware of their options.
The Commission is continuing to actively monitor the availability of affordable and flexible roaming options and remains prepared to launch a formal public proceeding if sufficient action is not taken, as indicated its October 2024 letter.
We appreciate your attention and timely action. If you have any questions, please contact Leila Wright, Vice-President, Telecommunications, at Leila.Wright@crtc.gc.ca.
Sincerely,
Original signed by
Marc Morin
Secretary General
c.c.:
Leila Wright, Vice-President, Telecommunications, CRTC, Leila.Wright@crtc.gc.ca
Scott Hutton, Vice-President, Consumer, Analytics and Strategy, CRTC, Scott.Hutton@crtc.gc.ca
Attachment (1) – Distribution List
Distribution List
Bell Mobility Inc., bell.regulatory@bell.ca
Rogers Communications Canada Inc., regulatory@rci.rogers.com
TELUS Communications Inc., regulatory.affairs@telus.com
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